It’s not unusual for a driver to start a Formula 1 season under pressure, but typically they’ve taken part in more than just one Grand Prix to reach that point.
Jack Doohan is the unfortunate driver who may hold the title for the most under-pressure driver on the grid heading into his home race at the Australian Grand Prix.
What should be a weekend of celebration for the 21-year-old Alpine driver in front of a sold-out Melbourne crowd will instead be a race where Doohan will know he needs to improve on his P15 finish in Abu Dhabi last year.
Doohan’s Alpine contract may run for just six races, which means every session will count for the Australian.
He spent last season sitting on the sidelines, running in the occasional private test and waiting for his opportunities during FP1 sessions.
Esteban Ocon’s early exit to join Haas handed him an unlikely debut but may have ticked a race off his short-term deal that could allow chief advisor Flavio Briatore to make what’s becoming a customary mid-season change for the Italian.
Alpine have signed F2 star Paul Aron, McLaren development driver Ryo Hirakawa and most importantly, Williams star Franco Colapinto in the past few months.
Journalist Jon Noble has explained on The Race F1’s YouTube channel what Doohan now has to do to avoid being replaced at some point during the 2025 season and how that involves teammate Pierre Gasly.
Jack Doohan told to match Pierre Gasly to save his Alpine seat
Noble was asked whether Doohan will be sacked by Alpine this season and responded: “If he doesn’t perform this season, but this is generally the way of Formula 1.
“I think there’s no more ruthless a person in Formula 1 to have a boss than Flavio Briatore.
“So, the second you fall out of favour, the second you’re not doing what you’re expected, Flavio will not waste a millisecond to take action and do something.
“Franco’s got a lot of sponsorship money behind him, he’s got a lot of hype, a lot of interest around him.
READ MORE: Who is Alpine F1 driver Jack Doohan? All to know from his girlfriend to dad
“So, Jack knows he’s got to perform but I think that pressure would have been on him anyway, it’s just a bit more sharpened and focused now.
“I think ultimately, the decisions, we can’t decide today if they will or won’t, the decision will be is he performing?
“And he’s going to be have to matching Gasly, because as Bearman showed, as Colapinto showed, when the rookies come in now, you perform straight away, there’s not a customization period of five, six, seven races to do it.
“You come in and you perform, or you’re out.”
Alpine looking to build on strong finish to 2024 with Gasly and Doohan
While Briatore has developed a reputation for ruthlessness when it comes to his driver line-ups, he’s already given Doohan assurances that he’ll start the season in Australia.
Briatore might not have signed Doohan but won’t do him the disservice of dropping him after a single Grand Prix appearance.
As Noble has suggested, as long as Doohan is on the same level as Gasly, then the team have no reason to replace the Australian.
READ MORE: All you need to know about Alpine F1 Team from team principal to lineage
That is, unless, Alpine want an injection of cash that could come from promoting Colapinto.
The youngster is heavily backed by sponsors from Argentina and other parts of Latin and South America and they will be supporting Colapinto knowing that there’s a strong chance he’ll be on the Formula 1 grid again soon.
Doohan faces a seismic task to retain his seat but knows that if he’s on the same level as Gasly then he won’t be going anywhere.
Leave feedback about this